Excel is a commercial spreadsheet application produced and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft

Windows and Mac OS. It features the ability to perform basic calculations, use graphing tools,
create pivot tables and and create macros.

Excel has the same basic features as all spreadsheet applications, which use a collection of cells
arranged into rows and columns to organize and manipulate data. They can also display data as
charts, histograms and line graphs.

Excel permits users to arrange data so as to view various factors from different perspectives. Visual
Basic is used for applications in Excel, allowing users to create a variety of complex numerical
methods. Programmers are given an option to code directly using the Visual Basic Editor,
including Windows for writing code, debugging and code module organization.

Excel is an electronic spreadsheet program.

An electronic spreadsheet is a computer software program that is used for storing, organizing and
manipulating data.

Electronic spreadsheet programs were originally based on paper spreadsheets used for accounting.
As such, the basic layout of computerized spreadsheets is the same as the paper ones. Related data
is stored in tables - which are a collection of small rectangular boxes or cells organized into rows
and columns.

Current versions of Excel and other spreadsheet programs can store multiple spreadsheet pages in
a single computer file.

The saved computer file is often referred to as a workbook and each page in the workbook is a
separate worksheet.

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program included in the Microsoft Office suite of applications.
Spreadsheets present tables of values arranged in rows and columns that can be manipulated
mathematically using both basic and complex arithmetic operations and functions.
In addition to its standard spreadsheet features, Excel also offers programming support via
Microsoft's Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), the ability to access data from external sources
via Microsoft’s Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), and extensive graphing and charting capabilities.

Microsoft Excel provides a grid interface to organize nearly any type of information. The power of
Excel lies in it's flexibility to define the layout and structure of the information you want to
manage. Basic tasks require no special training, and Excel allows you to work with text, numbers, and
date information in a relatively open and unstructured way. Nearly 30 years after it's initial introduction,
Excel remains the worlds leading spreadsheet software.
Uses of Microsoft Excel

Administrative Functions

MS Word administrative documents are created and stored as files where information can be
entered, edited and formatted and saved electronically. MS Word can be used to type letters,
memos, notices, fax cover sheets and envelopes for mailing or distribution. Newsletters, brochures
and books can also be created using MS Word. Additional graphs, photographs, charts, drawings
and tables can be inserted into a Word document to further illustrate and enhance administrative
documents. It is not unusual to find human resources typing up and printing a notice pertaining to the
company picnic or retreat using MS Word.

Storing Data

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program used to store and retrieve numerical data in a grid format
of columns and rows. Excel is ideal for entering, calculating and analyzing company data such as
sales figures, sales taxes or commissions. Although Word has some graphical and calculation
capability, Excel offers far more tools for calculating trends, deciphering profits, creating numerical
formats and visual data. The Excel program can turn a spreadsheet of numbers into a pie chart, bar
diagram or a variety of other visual diagrams. Excel can also be used to store text-based data such
as client lists, employee data and mailing lists.

Reports

You can use Excel and Word individually or in combination to create company reports. Word is ideal
for presenting reports in written form by summarizing and formatting data using a table of contents,
headings, font changes and pagination. Excel can be used to create the supporting data for a written
report which might include selecting a particular range of data by date, department or personnel. For
example, monthly sales reports can be created according to customer, manufacturer, sales person
or product using Excel's data sorting and selection capability which is based on previously defining
data by attributes such as department name, manufacturer or acquisition date. Examples of
company reports might include financial summaries, compliance documents or personnel reports
outlining vacation and sick days.
Research

Companies often investigate and research possible business or production models in “what-if” scenarios. These
scenarios might illustrate comparisons among pricing structures, the cost of doing business in different markets
or geographical locations or the cost of producing next year's holiday products through different
manufacturers. Excel can store and calculate the data as directed using existing or new data. The data and
calculations can be stored in separate workbooks -- a workbook is a collection of spreadsheets accessed
through a single file with each page of the file being a separate spreadsheet added as a new tab in the
workbook.